Preview: Penn State at Iowa

January 30, 2013|Reuters

SportsDirect Inc.

Preview: Penn State at Iowa

Will Penn State finally win its first Big Ten game when it travels to Iowa on Thursday night? It just might be the Nittany Lions' best chance as the Hawkeyes have slumped since winning their only two conference games in consecutive fashion over Northwestern and Wisconsin. But Penn State has given few reasons to believe it will turn things around any time soon. Just three of the Nittany Lions' eight Big Ten defeats have come by less than double digits. Penn State has yet to win on the road as well, while Iowa is 10-2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Last time out, the Hawkeyes narrowly fell to Purdue in overtime, and the Nittany Lions were beaten by Ohio State.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU.

ABOUT PENN STATE (8-12, 0-8 Big Ten): Surprisingly, the Nittany Lions' defense has been good this season - or at least good enough to give them a chance to win. Penn State held the Big Ten's leading scorer, Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas, to a season-low 11 points. Before that, the Nittany Lions shut down Indiana's Cody Zeller, who finished with a career low of two points. But the offense has been atrocious in those two games, scoring a combined 100 points. The lack of a third go-to scorer has really hurt Penn State. When opponents figure out how to stop sophomore guard D.J. Newbill (15.5 ppg) or junior guard Jermaine Marshall, this team can go on devastating scoring droughts like the 11-minute dry spell against the Buckeyes.

ABOUT IOWA (13-7, 2-5): Whereas Penn State has been getting blown out, the Hawkeyes struggle to win close games. Junior Melsahn Basabe has averaged 10.2 points off the bench in the team's last five games, and has led Iowa in rebounds in its last two. It's not just Basabe who is playing well in reserve - the bench is chipping in 25.3 points per game. The scoring depth is a welcome change for Fran McCaffery's team. Last season, eight Hawkeyes scored in double figures at least once. This season, 11 have done it.

TIP-INS

1. The Hawkeyes have made more free throws (343) than their opponents have attempted (341).

2. The Nittany Lions have done some lineup shuffling, with three different starting fives in their last three games.